C4BF Makes a difference in Kenya

In July C4BF received a request for cleats to help the Aspire Mega Soccer Academy (AMSA) in Kenya. The AMSA is a sports centered charitable organization established to transform the lives of the most impoverished and vulnerable youngsters through soccer and education in Kenya. Most of their participants are orphans who cannot afford to buy equipment, not even shoes to wear to school. This is the kind of challenge Cleats For Bare Feet is working toward overcoming.

In August, we connected with a US representative for AMSA and provided them with 13 pairs of cleats for their team.

Today, we received this letter and photos from the Director of AMSA.

Dear C4BF,  

Thank you so much for your donation of 13 pairs of soccer cleats, and 1 ball.In fact. We don't know how to thank you and if it will ever be enough!
We may not be able to thank everyone who donated these cleats but, please let them know that AMSA youngsters are very proud of them and that they have contributed to a great cause and injected a fresh impetus of hope and self belief into the lives of impoverished and vulnerable youngsters in KENYA.
Before your donation, we only had 5 pairs of cleats that were being shared at intervals among the under 12 years. The players wearing shoes at the beginning of the game would in turn share them at the start of 2 half!
That now, the under 12 years can comfortably play 90 minutes wearing cleats is a big milestone to us and by extension the entire community.

As you can see, we still require cleats, shin guards, even uniforms for the older players. We shall always welcome and appreciate any assistance from you. Attached herein are photos of AMSA children.

We don't even know how to thank you and whether our thanks will ever be enough. The equipment to us is a dream come true! And a miracle! , you are changing many lives here!.Attached are the photos of the youngsters.
May the Almighty Father bless you abundantly and long live cleats for bare feat.

Sincerely ,

Eusebias Francis

It is our great pleasure to have been able to be a part of helping Eusebias, his team, and the AMSE work towards their continued goal of identifying, nurturing  and developing talent both on the field as well as in the classroom. 

We hope to be able to find other ways to provide the participants of AMSE with more equipment in the coming months. 

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Crowdfunding Wrap-up and New Goals for C4BF

First off, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to our crowdfunding goal. Every contribution makes a difference in the long run. Cleats for Bare Feet is focused on the idea of spending imagination before spending money. Our Cleats on the Ground program is a great example of that mentality.

Throughout this campaign, and long before it started, our sponsor greeNEWit has continued to support the C4BF mission so that we can continue to help players around the world play safer and reach their potential. greeNEWit has agreed to continue to help support C4BF for another year as we gear up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

During the crowdfunding campaign, we learned an immense amount about ourselves. Through discussions with supportive organizations like Sports & Social Change and Coaches Across Continents, we are shifting our goals a little.

Over the course of the next year, we are aiming to collect 10,000 pieces of equipment and distribute at least 8,000 pieces to players all around the world before July 13, 2014; the day the World Cup ends. We have one year to date to nearly double our collections and distributions. We have absolute faith that we can hit this target and beyond.


Just like with the crowdfunding campaign, we will continue to need your support. Get involved in one of the following ways:

1. If you have equipment laying around your home, now is the time to get it to C4BF.
2. If your kids play on a team, spread the word to the coaches, teammates, the league, etc.
3. If you know of someone who needs equipment, send them our way.
4. If you, or someone you know, is traveling abroad and would like to experience social giving, let us know. With enough time, we can find players abroad who are in need of equipment.

Here is our progress so far:

We are also preparing to launch a new aspect of C4BF that will help local (Baltimore/DC Suburbs in MD) soccer clubs actively raise money for their teams. It’s called OUR Teams and the next blog post will cover the opportunity in more detail. Stay tuned.

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Why does C4BF give Cleats and not money?

Something we get asked frequently: Why do you donate cleats when you could just give money? Good question. With money donations we could repair fields, buy new equipment, or hire coaches. Sounds great right? In truth it’s more complicated than that, we have 3 main reasons why we give cleats.

1. Cleats are a solution. By giving soccer equipment we address a clear issue. People all over the world want to play soccer, but they lack the supplies to participate. We gather cleats, balls, jerseys, etc. and send them to places in need. Even on a small scale, this solves the problem, giving one person a pair of shoes gives them the ability to play soccer under any conditions they have to deal with. This is key. At any donation site conditions are variable, there may be a grass field but in a lot of cases the fields look like this:

Photo Credit

Most fields are dirt and many have nails, glass and garbage scattered throughout. This puts players, at risk for infections, cuts, and and other injuries. Giving cleats is a simple solution to all these risks.  We can give protection to players and allow them to play soccer pretty much anywhere.

2. Money is problematic.

Everybody needs, and can always use more, money! That's true, but in our case money has its setbacks. Building a soccer field costs over $20,000, but collecting financial contributions is easier said than done. People are more than happy to give away used equipment, but money is something people struggle to part with. This concept makes cleats, and other sporting equipment, a readily available resource that we can tap. 

Additionally, ensuring that the money is being used to the best possible effect would be very difficult. Our organization is based in Columbia, Maryland. Tracking funds all over the world would be near impossible with our current resources. Not only are we responsible for where the money would go, but we would have to make sure the fields were being built ethically, that workers were treated and paid fairly, that codes were up-to-date, and that building is environmentally friendly. 

C4BF feels that it can make the most impact by putting cleats on the feet of players.

3. Equipment is interactive

Our mission at C4BF has always been to connect people through soccer. Not only do we want to practically get shoes and balls to players, but we want to show people how they can easily affect someone else’s life. A cleat is more than just protection or equipment, it is a common bond. A jersey was once meaningful to a player in Baltimore and can now be given to a player in Senegal who will value it just as much, if not more. These players are now connected through a love of the sport and through Cleats For Bare Feet. It is so easy to help change someone’s life, especially in this global age, and all you need is a pair of shoes and an internet connection.

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